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Need advice on upward slope driving from standstill


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Hi all, need your advice on a dangerous situation which I had encountered twice.

My office car park has steep and curving ramps. On two occasions, while I was driving the upward ramp, the car in front of me stopped. When my car moved off from a standstill while on the upward slope, it could not move and the rear wheels kept spinning so much that smoke appeared and there was thick rubber smell. I had to resolve the problem by reversing and moving up again. Fortunately no car was behind my car.

I called my regular mechanic and asked whether it was due to tyre problem and he said it may not be the case because I had changed tyres a year ago. He said the ramp surface may be too smooth or as it was a curve, one of the wheels was not in contact with the road. However, I have never seen other cars having the same problem in the same car park.

My car is rear wheel drive and I had tried to engage low gear whenever I went up slope in the car park after the first incident but it happened again.

Do you think I should change a new set of tyres with better grip?

I search online and read that when negotiating an upward slope after a standstill, a better way is to drive up gently instead of gunning it up as sending too much power to the wheels will cause tyre losing traction.

Other suggested reducing tyre air pressure for better grip.

Any constructive advice is most welcome. Thank you.

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Supersonic

I search online and read that when negotiating an upward slope after a standstill, a better way is to drive up gently instead of gunning it up as sending too much power to the wheels will cause tyre losing traction.

 

 

that would sound like a plausible reason. u driving a manual? ur car has traction control?

 

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Until you find a solution, one of the thing you can do is to wait for the car in front is fully up & a distance, before you drive up. I personally do not like to stop on a slope.

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Whats your tyre made first of all?

 

Hardened tyre has very or little grip on epoxy painted floor.

 

Hi Hamburger,

 

My tyres are Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2.

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that would sound like a plausible reason. u driving a manual? ur car has traction control?

 

Hi Soya,

 

It is an auto and no traction control

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Until you find a solution, one of the thing you can do is to wait for the car in front is fully up & a distance, before you drive up. I personally do not like to stop on a slope.

 

I also hate to stop on a slope. But at times there are "traffic jam" on a slope and I am quite worried now...

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Supercharged

for instance like that, doesn't matter you drive auto or manual.

use the handbrake to stop the car from rolling back. release the foot brake and step on the gas till you feel the car "moving" forward, then let go of the handbrake.

it will take a little practice. but once you master it, no problem.

 

for auto, if you lazy to use handbrake, then you must master holding the brake pedal with your left foot for the same procedure listed above.

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Try to just lightly rest your foot on the throttle just enough for the car to hold and simply move on when the road is clear. Dont need to use brake pedal.

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for instance like that, doesn't matter you drive auto or manual.

use the handbrake to stop the car from rolling back. release the foot brake and step on the gas till you feel the car "moving" forward, then let go of the handbrake.

it will take a little practice. but once you master it, no problem.

 

for auto, if you lazy to use handbrake, then you must master holding the brake pedal with your left foot for the same procedure listed above.

 

Thanks Ahgong,

 

From the two horrible experience, the more I stepped on it, the more the wheel spin and more smoke and noise. The car just did not move an inch whether forward or backward. I solved the problem by reversed slightly and move on. But I don't think what I did is safe if there are cars behind.

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Supercharged
(edited)

Thanks Ahgong,

 

From the two horrible experience, the more I stepped on it, the more the wheel spin and more smoke and noise. The car just did not move an inch whether forward or backward. I solved the problem by reversed slightly and move on. But I don't think what I did is safe if there are cars behind.

like i said, make the handbrake your best friend.

otherwise, master the brake pedal with your left foot.

 

I have been in similar situations that you described a few times. Mostly at NEX and at the MSCP opp bugis junction.

Works for both manual and auto cars. I drive mostly rentals that time, so tried on both manual and auto and it works.

 

Driving a manual now. also using the same methods.

most important is dun kan cheong. once you panick, your hand and leg will lose coordination.

[;)]

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Erm, handbrake / foot brake / foot brake helps in preventing roll back on slope.

 

From TS description, his car is stuck n can't move at all until he engage Reverse.

 

Could it be the hill assist faulty ? Jz a guess ...

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Hi Soya,

 

It is an auto and no traction control

 

 

 

Very simple. Learn to do left foot braking.

 

Use yr left foot to control e brake n slowly release while slowly increasing yr right foot on accelerator.

 

Guaranteed smooth starts on even the steepest slopes.

 

If u drive a manual is harder cos then u wil need to learn heel n toe which is a bit harder to learn n do properly.

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Engage low gear and try to softly press the accelerator, should not have this wheel spinning effect.

 

We spin the wheels only when we do hard pick acceleration.

 

At low moving off speed should not blame the tires unless your tire are really bald.

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Winter driving techniques - Dip the clutch:

Should you find the car sliding on a slippery or icy surface, dipping the clutch helps to give you more control over the car. This move cancels all power to the accelerator.

 

May help?

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Supercharged

Winter driving techniques - Dip the clutch:

Should you find the car sliding on a slippery or icy surface, dipping the clutch helps to give you more control over the car. This move cancels all power to the accelerator.

 

May help?

what do you mean by Dip the Clutch?

as in half clutch? That is only good if you are driving manual.

 

TS is driving auto, the left-foot brake pedal or the handbrake technique are the only choices liow.

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Thank you all for the advice.

 

The general consensus appears to be that in the situation where we have to stop on a steep slope and the car cannot move on despite stepping gas, do the foot brake/gas method - Apply foot brake and slowly release and at the same, gently and gradually step on the gas. Correct me if I am wrong.

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Could it be the hill assist faulty ? Jz a guess ...

oh please, you think its a Landrover Rover climbing hill [dizzy]

 

I still think its the rubber compound that has hardened. Thats why GY is never my choice of tyres.

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